This article has 28 comments

Thank god for some culture in the television desert that is Christmas. No Mary Poppins, Bridge on the River Kwai and all the other junk which we have seen for years and years. Maybe if we are lucky one ballet and an opera over the2 days of Christmas. Now it seem we may have a feast, thank you, thank you ,thank you - just hope I don't fall asleep wearing my funny ?? hat.

I totally agree with you, I would just love to see more of the dramatic ballets on television. I am still hoping that one day we will be able to purchase a DVD of Onegin - the ballet. Hope springs eternal....

This is WONDERFUL news!! My first interest in ballet stemmed from seeing Carlos Acosta & Marianela Nunez perform "La Fille Mal Gardee" on Boxing Day TV in 2005. I was totally spellbound by the superlative dancing, and now I travel from Scotland to the Royal Opera House monthly to see each performance. I saw Carlos Acosta's "Don Quixote" at the ROH twice, as well as the cinema relay. A total triumph of a production! I'm praying it will become available on DVD but meantime this news will make my Christmas Day complete!! A HUGE "thank you!" to all concerned!

Not everyone can get to the ROH - indeed, a lot of people are actually housebound - so the Sky Arts productions are a godsend to them. You may be in this position one day, so don't knock the Sky input!

Thank you so very much, Lottie, for taking the time and trouble to give me those details! Now I see I must finally give in and subscribe to Sky TV!! This is going to be very exciting Christmas viewing! Best wishes to all at Royal Ballet (and, indeed at ROH!) for a Happy Christmas and a healthy, prosperous and successful 2014. My thanks again to you!

To be fair, the ballets on Sky Arts are more widely available than indicated by some of your respondents. You don't have to subscribe to Sky as Sky Arts 1 & 2 are available even on the cheaper packages provided on cable TV, i.e. Virgin. I for one will be glued to my TV for the Christmas ballets. Many thanks to those who organised these showings.

No, its the 2012 production Meaghan Grace Hinkis as Clara, Gary Avis as Drosselmeyer, Ricardo Cervera as Hans-Peter/The Nutcracker, Roberta Marquez as The Sugar Plum Fairy and Steven McRae as The Prince.

I'm so delighted that we have so many to look forward to - I can watch them again and again. Still laaaaing the snowflakes from the Nutcracker last week. ROH have cheered up a rather cheerless Christmas TV line up. Hooray for the Royal Ballet

I am so looking forward to the Nutcracker on Christmas day. My son was a party child in 2012 and it will give elderly family who didn't get the chance to see it live or in the cinema the chance to experience it. We are very excited, thank you so very much.